Mayor’s Violence Reduction Unit hits milestone of one million Londoners reached as knife assault figures fall

• London’s VRU has reached one million young Londoners with interventions, diversionary activities and opportunities through pioneering public health approach to tackling violence

• Data shows hospital admissions of young people for knife assault are down 55 per cent since the VRU was set up in 2019 – a greater reduction than the rest of the country

• Figures reveal 12,500 fewer victims of violence with injury over seven years, while knife crime and gun crime also continue to fall in London

• Sadiq has invested more than £140m in London’s VRU, the first in England and Wales

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced that his Violence Reduction Unit (VRU) will this month hit the milestone of reaching one million young Londoners since its launch. 

New data shows that the number of young people admitted to hospital for knife assault has fallen by 55 per cent since the VRU was set up by the Mayor in 2019. London’s hospital admissions declined at a faster pace, leading to a greater reduction than the rest of the country.

Figures also reveal nearly 12,500 fewer victims of violence with injury compared to when the VRU was established, whilst both gun crime and personal robbery are down by more than a quarter. Knife crime also continues to fall in the capital. Latest data shows there were 2,500 fewer victims of knife crime in the last three years*, and figures show a continued downward trend with a 10 per cent reduction in the last 12 months.

The Mayor, who set up London’s VRU in 2019 – the first in England and Wales - has invested more than £140m in the public health approach it has pioneered across London. Through prevention, early intervention and investment in targeted diversionary activities, the VRU has reached three-quarters of a million young people in just over seven years. A further 250,000 parents and carers, youth workers and professionals that work directly with young people, have received dedicated training, upskilling and support.  

While the Mayor is clear there is still more to do to sustain reductions in violence and exploitation, his approach of enforcement and the VRU’s public health approach in partnership with others, is delivering progress in the capital. 

Guided by the principle that we can’t arrest our way out of violence, the VRU intervenes at critical moments to support young Londoners. Keeping children in the classroom is a vital safety measure, especially as school exclusion doubles a young person's risk of being involved in violence within 12 months. In its first full year, London’s Inclusion Charter has driven down suspensions, exclusions, and absenteeism across the capital. 

The VRU also meets young people at crisis points. Hospital-based youth workers have guided 75 per cent of young people away from further harm, while youth workers in custody suites that are seeking to break the reoffending cycle, have connected with nearly 17,000 young people. Its flagship MyEnds programme delivers hyper-local support, providing 60,000 targeted interventions directly to the communities that need them most.

While violence and knife crime continue to fall across London, the Mayor insists this progress serves as a stark reminder of why prevention investment is vital.

Evidence has proven a direct link between national austerity cuts to youth services and youth work between 2010 and 2019, and the subsequent rise in violence affecting young people. 

The Mayor is calling on the Government, which already provides some funding for London’s VRU alongside other units nationwide, to match his long-term commitment. He urges Ministers to recognise that consistent, multi-year funding is essential to achieve the shared national ambition of halving knife crime.

Today, the Mayor and VRU Director, Lib Peck, visited a VRU programme delivered at Croydon Amateur Boxing Club to see how investment is working to prevent those at greatest risk being involved in violence.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I set up the Violence Reduction Unit just over seven years ago because of a clear and long-held view that we cannot arrest our way out of violence. Violent crime is preventable, not inevitable.

“As we hit the milestone of reaching one million young people through the VRU, we are able to demonstrate that a public health approach to tackling violence and exploitation works. Hospital admissions of young people for knife assault are down by more than half, and there are thousands of fewer victims of violence and gun crime, but I’m clear there is more to do to reduce violence and exploitation.  

“Our investment has not only provided interventions and positive opportunities; it has also delivered support and training for thousands of youth workers, mentors and school staff that work with young people across our city.

“We are turning the tide in our efforts to tackle violence and look forward to working with the Government in order to realise our shared national ambition of halving knife crime, supported by a long-term, multi-year financial backing that our communities deserve.”

Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, said: “Reaching one million Londoners is testament to the power of partnership and our city-wide commitment to the view that violence is preventable, not inevitable.

“Our prevention and early intervention approach is built around catching young people at points of crisis or vulnerability and giving them the support they need towards safety and opportunity.

“The figures show progress through prevention with fewer young people in hospital and declining violence and knife crime. History shows what happens when you cut the very services working to prevent violence and so it’s crucial that we keep the momentum up so that every young person in London is safe and supported to thrive.”  

Martin Griffiths, consultant trauma surgeon at Barts Health NHS Trust and Clinical Director of the Violence Reduction Network for the NHS in London, said: “A 55 per cent fall in young people admitted to hospital for knife assault is welcome news. Every one of those injuries is a tragedy however, but behind this fall are young Londoners who are safer and families spared the worst day of their lives.

“This progress is the product of partnership. The NHS London violence reduction programme supports teams across London's hospitals, working hand-in-hand with the Violence Reduction Unit. As frontline clinicians, we see the devastating consequences of violence first-hand, but we are part of a much bigger picture, alongside nurses, therapists, youth workers and the families and communities around each young person. Hospital-based youth workers have guided 75 per cent of the young people they support away from further harm.

“There is more to do, and the NHS is committed to walking alongside the VRU to keep young Londoners safe.”

Ben Eckett, founder and director of Be Inspired, said: “Investment and support from the VRU has been hugely important for Croydon, where there is a real need for sustained, community-based support for young people and adults at risk of serious violence and criminal exploitation. Multi-year funding has allowed us to embed our work in the community, build trusted relationships and provide consistent support that leads to positive outcomes.

“At Be Inspired, our combination of dedicated casework and therapeutic support enables us to work with some of the highest-risk individuals, helping them navigate complex challenges, make positive changes and find a different path for their future. We have countless examples of lives being changed through this work, and that is a testament to the commitment, passion and expertise of our brilliant team." 

Kavi, a young person who has been supported Be Inspired, through VRU investment, said: “Be Inspired was not just going to a boxing club, doing a two-hour session, and then going home. It was more than that. I’ve never been so welcomed and taken in a community with loving hands. If I’m feeling down or at a low point I will go from Wimbledon to Norbury just to graft and feel good about myself. Be inspired is not just a community it’s a family. Without Be Inspired, I don’t know what I would do. But I’m grateful for this family and I couldn’t wish for more.”